Wednesday, September 28, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Saudi woman has been sentenced to to 10 lashes for challenging a ban on women driving.
Amnesty International reported the sentence just two days after Saudi King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and run in municipal elections.
"Flogging is a cruel punishment in all circumstances but it beggars belief that the authorities in Saudi Arabia have imposed lashes on a woman apparently for merely driving a car", Philip Luther, an Amnesty regional deputy director, said in an emailed statement.
"Allowing women to vote in council elections is all well and good, but if they are still going to face being flogged for trying to exercise their right to freedom of movement, then the king's much trumpeted 'reforms' actually amount to very little," Mr Luther said. » | Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Representative Maxine Waters of California claimed Mr Obama "never would say that" to Hispanic, gay or Jewish groups.
She took umbrage at Mr Obama's fiery weekend speech in which he told black members of Congress: "I expect all of you to march with me and press on. Take off your bedroom slippers, put on your marching shoes.
"Shake it off. Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying. We are going to press on. We've got work to do, CBC."
Mrs Waters, a former CBC chairman, told CBS News that she found the comments "a bit curious" and "not appropriate". She said that she was "not sure exactly who the president was talking to" when he made the speech.
"The president spoke to the Hispanic Caucus – he certainly didn't tell them to stop complaining," she said. » | Toby Harnden, Washington | Tuesdaay, September 27, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Labour will offer a "new bargain" to the people of Britain to end the "fast buck" culture of the last 30 years and reshape society so that hard work and responsibility are rewarded, the party's leader Ed Miliband said today.
In his keynote speech to Labour's conference in Liverpool, Mr Miliband said he wanted to become Prime Minister so he can "write a new chapter in our country's history".
Launching a scathing attack on "unjustified rewards" at the top of companies, asset-stripping "predators" in business and bankers who profited even as their mistakes caused economic meltdown, Mr Miliband said that a Labour government would use tax breaks, regulation and contracts to reward firms which contribute to their community.
And he said he was determined to reform the welfare system to ensure that it pays to work, to end "cosy cartels" which set top pay, break up the "rigged market" which allows energy companies to charge high prices and rebalance Britain's economy away from the reliance on financial services and towards production and manufacturing.
Against the backdrop of opinion polls suggesting voters do not see him as a potential prime minister, Mr Miliband sought to shake off the legacy of the last two Labour leaders to hold power, telling the conference: "I'm not Tony Blair. I'm not Gordon Brown either... I'm my own man and I'm going to do things my own way."
And he declared that he was ready to take risks to break away from the "something for nothing" culture which has taken root in Britain over the past three decades and created a "quiet crisis" where those who do the right thing no longer believe they will be rewarded for it. Read on and comment » | Tuesday, September 27, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Germany and America were on a collision course on Tuesday night over the handling of Europe's debt crisis after Berlin savaged plans to boost the EU rescue fund as a "stupid idea" and told the White House to sort out its own mess before giving gratuitous advice to others.
German finance minister Wolfgang Scha[e]uble said it would be a folly to boost the EU's bail-out machinery (EFSF) beyond its €440bn lending limit by deploying leverage to up to €2 trillion, perhaps by raising funds from the European Central Bank.
"I don't understand how anyone in the European Commission can have such a stupid idea. The result would be to endanger the AAA sovereign debt ratings of other member states. It makes no sense," he said.
Mr Schauble told Washington to mind its own businesss after President Barack Obama rebuked EU leaders for failing to recapitalise banks and allowing the debt crisis to escalate to the point where it is "scaring the world".
"It's always much easier to give advice to others than to decide for yourself. I am well prepared to give advice to the US government," he said. » | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Tuesday, September 27, 2011
I'm so pleased that Frau Merkel and Herr Schäuble have had the courage to tell Obama to keep his nose out of Europe's business. What can Obama tell others about solving their debt crisis? He can't solve his own! If anyone's debt is "scaring the world," it is the incredible debt of the USA! People who live in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones. – © Mark
This comment also appears here
Une audace à peine voilée. La candidature de Kenza Drider à l’élection présidentielle en 2012 fait grand bruit en France. Cette Française de 32 ans d’origine marocaine qui habite Avignon, a publiquement annoncé, jeudi 22 septembre à Meaux (Seine-et-Marne), son intention de briguer la présidence de la République en 2012.
Cette jeune femme, qui porte le voile intégral depuis 13 ans, n’est pas complètement inconnue du grand public. Elle a été la seule femme en niqab à avoir été entendue par la mission parlementaire sur le port du voile intégrale en décembre 2009.
Devenue depuis une figure médiatique et une porte-parole des femmes dans sa condition, Kenza souhaite mettre à profit sa petite notoriété pour se faire entendre. Choquée par la loi interdisant le port du niqab dans les lieux publics en vigueur depuis le 11 avril dernier, elle souhaite l’abroger au nom de la liberté de culte et de la liberté de conscience.
Son engagement, dit-elle, n’est pas uniquement réservé aux femmes en niqab. Elle déclare vouloir défendre toutes les femmes [i][« victimes de stigmatisation ou de discriminations sociales, économiques ou politiques. »] et compare volontiers son combat à Rosa Parks, icône de la lutte contre la ségrégation raciale aux Etats-Unis. » | Hanan Ben Rhouma | Vendredi 23 Septembre 2011
THE TIMES: British Muslims are taking second or third wives in an unexpected revival of polygamy, according to religious leaders Muslim women call their lawyers as polygamy thrives » | Rosemary Bennett | Social Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, September 27, 2011 [£]
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Officials from the BfV, Germany's domestic intelligence agency, will discuss the country's increasingly vocal Islamophobe scene at a meeting on Thursday. There have been calls to put right-wing populist and anti-Muslim groups under increased surveillance.
Islamophobes in Germany could come under increased surveillance by the country's domestic intelligence agency. There are concerns that the anti-Muslim scene is becoming increasingly dangerous, and some intelligence officials want it to be subject to greater scrutiny, despite stringent German privacy laws. » | SPIEGEL | Tuesday, September 27, 2011
An outspoken City trader left interviewers open-mouthed as he admitted that traders 'don't really care that much' about the prospect of an economic collapse.
Alessio Rastani astonished BBC viewers yesterday by describing his hopes of profiting from a recession, adding: 'The governments don't rule the world - Goldman Sachs rules the world.'
The self-styled 'independent trader' also claimed he had been 'dreaming of this moment for three years', as the global economy faces continuing uncertainty. » | Hugo Gye | Tuesday, September 27, 2011
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Aux cris de "Mort à l’Amérique" et "Allah est grand", des milliers de membres des tribus du Nord-Ouest du Pakistan ont menacé d'attaquer les Etats-Unis s’ils s'en prenaient au réseau taliban afghan Haqqani.
Plusieurs milliers de membres des tribus du Nord-Ouest du Pakistan ont menacé vendredi de lancer une guerre sainte contre les Etats-Unis s’ils attaquaient la zone tribale proche du Waziristan du Nord, bastion du réseau taliban afghan Haqqani.
Les manifestants, kalachnikovs en bandoulière pour certains, se sont d’abord rassemblés à l’appel du plus grand parti islamiste pakistanais, la Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), à Jamrud, dans le district tribal de Khyber, frontalier de l’Afghanistan.
Aux cris de "Mort à l’Amérique", "Allah est grand" et "Guerre sainte", les manifestants se sont ensuite retrouvés dans la ville de Landikotal, à la frontière afghane, où ils furent environ 2500 à écouter les discours des responsables du parti.
"Nous appelons à la guerre sainte contre l’Amérique si elle attaque le Pakistan", a déclaré l’un des chefs du parti, Siraj-Ul-Haq, ajoutant que "la nation tout entière" épaulerait alors les forces pakistanaises dans cette bataille contre les Américains. » | AFP | Mardi 27 Septembre 2011
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: «CRIMES D’HONNEUR» | Une mère et sa fille de 18 ans ont été assassinées à Islamabad, en pleine journée, après que la première a demandé le divorce.
Une mère et sa fille ont été tuées mardi en pleine journée dans la capitale pakistanaise Islamabad, juste après que la première eut demandé le divorce, a annoncé la police.
Najma Bibi, 40 ans, retournait chez elle en voiture après avoir déposé une demande de divorce dans un tribunal de la capitale lorsqu’elle a été abattue par des hommes armés avec sa fille Sidra, 18 ans, et un autre homme, Nazeer, 28 ans, a expliqué un enquêteur de la police, Jamshed Khan. » | ATS | Mardi 27 Septembre 2011
LE FIGARO: Les rebelles ont pris le port de Syrte, l'un des derniers bastions loyaux à Mouammar Kadhafi. Plus au sud à Bani Walid, le gouvernement provisoire s'apprête à lancer l'assaut final contre les fidèles du Guide.
Le dernier bastion de Mouammar Kadhafi est en train de tomber. En prenant le port de Syrte, à 350 kilomètres au sud-est de Tripoli, les troupes du Conseil national de transition (CNT) ont porté un coup aux derniers fidèles du Guide libyen. Bloqués pendant des semaines à plusieurs dizaines de kilomètres de la ville, l'étau des rebelles se resserre depuis lundi autour de la cité natale de Kadhafi. L'Otan a apporté son soutien aérien aux insurgés, qui ont réussi à prendre le port dans la nuit de lundi à mardi. » | Par Caroline Bruneau | Mardi 27 Septembre 2011
A speech by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco to fellow bishops did not specifically name Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi but he left little doubt he was referring to the sex and corruption scandals that dog the prime minister and his centre-right government.
"It is mortifying to witness behaviour that not only goes counter to public decorum but is intrinsically sad and hollow," said the head of the Italian Bishops Conference.
Cardinal Bagnasco said Italians had been left in a state of "dumbfounded astonishment" by a ruling political class that was enmeshed in scandal and preoccupied with self-preservation while the country suffered from an economic crisis.
"The image is one of a country that is estranged, without impulse, as if everyone is waiting for the inevitable," he said. » | Monday, September 26, 2011
"Jehovah, the Great Physician, tells us to avoid contact with them. We know what he means, but are we determined to heed his warning in all respects? What is involved in avoiding false teachers? We do not receive them into our homes or greet them. We also refuse to read their literature, watch television programmes that feature them, examine their websites, or add our comments to their blogs. Why do we take such a firm stand?
"Because of love. We love 'the God of truth', so we are not interested in twisted teachings that contradict his Word of truth." – Taken from 'Will you heed Jehovah's warnings?' The Watchtower, 15 July 2011
The official magazine for Jehovah's Witnesses has described those who leave the church as "mentally diseased", prompting an outcry from former members and insiders concerned about the shunning of those who question official doctrine.
An article published in July's edition of The Watchtower warns followers to stay clear of "false teachers" who are condemned as being "mentally diseased" apostates who should be avoided at all costs. "Suppose that a doctor told you to avoid contact with someone who is infected with a contagious, deadly disease," the article reads. "You would know what the doctor means, and you would strictly heed his warning. Well, apostates are 'mentally diseased', and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings." Continue reading and comment » | Jerome Taylor, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Barely three months ago, the world’s attention was drawn to the unprecedented public campaign led by Saudi women activists to be allowed to drive in their own country. This weekend, the octogenarian King Abdullah instead made a concession to women in a different area: they are now to acquire the right to vote, as well as being allowed (by 2015) to stand as candidates in municipal elections.
This still means that the nationwide local elections to be held this week will not see the involvement of women candidates or voters. But at least Thursday’s male-only elections, which have been delayed since 2009, appear to be going ahead – this will be only the second time anyone has voted since local elections were introduced in 2005.
Things may move slowly in Saudi Arabia, but support for managed change and transition appears to be an issue close to many Saudi hearts. Not for them the street protests seen across the rest of the Arab world this year; instead, they have delivered an accelerated series of online petitions addressed respectfully to the King, punctuated by the occasional arrest of a cleric, blogger or intellectual deemed to have overstepped the mark.
Even the campaign to promote the issuing of driving licences to women – which constitutes the main impediment to their legal right to drive – has, with a few notable exceptions, been conducted within certain norms. Most of the women to have taken charge of the steering wheel this year have been veiled and accompanied by a male guardian, as required by culturally enforced tradition, if not the full force of law.
In principle, women’s rights in Saudi Arabia are governed by the Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam and Islamic law (sharia), named after its 18th-century founder, Ibn Abdul Al-Wahhab. For over two centuries, he and his followers supported the ascendancy of the Ibn Saud dynasty as the temporal rulers of what eventually, through conquest, became the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. Read on and comment » | Claire Spencer | Monday, September 26, 2011
Claire Spencer is head of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Russian Orthodox provincial priest was revealed to have amassed a collection of luxury cars and to keep hundreds of thousands of pounds of cash in his safe.
An undercover investigation on Russian TV into Archpriest Mikhail Grigoriev of Kazan has raised wider questions about the propriety of the country's clerics and their relationship with wealthy donors who contribute to restoration work.
In the case of Father Grigoriev, he was shown to own a BMW jeep, a Mercedes jeep, and a Mercedes saloon as well as three flats and a country house. To add insult to injury, a secret camera filmed the priest bragging about his £60,000 Swiss watch, his £12,000 phone, while talking about his love of Italian designer clothes and fine dining. In an indication of how much wealth the priest had amassed, he complained of recently being robbed of the equivalent of £300,000 from his safe. » | Andrew Osborn, Moscow | Tuesday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
He described the Catholic Church's beliefs as facing a number of threats, and he included same-sex marriage on the list.
"Knowing, too, the value of family and marriage, we as Christians attach great importance to defending the integrity and the uniqueness of marriage between one man and one woman from any kind of misinterpretation," he said, according to the Associated Press. "Here the common engagement of Christians, including many Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians, makes a valuable contribution to building up a society equipped for the future." » | Lucas Grindley | Sunday, September 25, 2011
NEWS.COM.AU: THOUSANDS of people stripped to their underwear and ran through Salt Lake City to protest what they called the "uptight" laws of Utah.
Undie Run organiser Nate Porter says the goal of the event on Saturday was to organise people frustrated by the conservative nature of state politics.
Nudity was prohibited by organisers. Participants donned bras, panties, nightgowns, swimwear or colorful boxer shorts - and some added political messages by expressing support for causes like gay marriage on their chests, backs or legs. » | AP | Monday, September 26, 2011
EXPATICA | DE: Two German converts to Islam appeared at England's central criminal court on Monday charged with having information which could be of use in terrorism.
Christian Emde, 28, and Robert Baum, 23, appeared at the Old Bailey court in central London. They were arrested at the port of Dover on England's southeast coast on July 15.
The pair, from the city of Solingen in western Germany, were alleged to have had the material on a computer and a hard-drive. » | AFP | Monday, September 26, 2011
Le Premier ministre grec Georges Papandréou a appelé lundi au téléphone son homologue turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Les deux dirigeants ont évoqué le conflit gazier opposant la république de Chypre à la Turquie en Méditerranée.
Cette conversation téléphonique des deux alliés de l’OTAN intervient alors que la Turquie devait démarrer ce lundi ses propres explorations offshore dans l’est de la Méditerranée. Ankara réagissait aux explorations lancées par la République de Chypre.
«Les deux parties ont défendu leurs positions respectives» sur ce conflit, a indiqué un conseiller de M. Erdogan sous le couvert de l’anonymat. M. Erdogan a expliqué à son interlocuteur l’opposition de son pays aux prospections chypriotes-grecques en cours.
La Grèce a des rapports privilégiés avec la République de Chypre. Seule entité reconnue sur l’île, celle-ci ne dirige de facto que la zone de peuplement chypriote grec (sud). La Turquie elle est l’alliée du nord, turc. » | AFP | Lundi 26 Septembre 2011
President Shimon Peres said Monday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is the best Palestinian leader Israel could work with toward the goal of resuming the peace process.
"I call on my friend, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who[m] I respect and acknowledge as the best leader Israel will work with, to return to the negotiating table," Peres said Monday at a Rosh Hashanah ceremony with foreign diplomats. » | Haaretz | Monday, September 26, 2011
On Saturday, Prime Minister Putin said he will run for president in the spring and would select Medvedev as his prime minister if elected. Kudrin, who is one of the most trusted Russian politicians among foreign investors, said Sunday that he has fundamental economic disagreements with Medvedev.
"I do not see myself in the new government. The point is not only that no one has offered me the job. I think that the disagreements I have will not allow me to join the government," Kudrin said in Washington at a World Bank meeting, hours after Putin's announcement that he would seek a return to the presidency he previously held for two terms.
Kudrin, who has served as finance minister for the last 11 years, is believed to have a major role in Russia's economic growth and stability. Earlier this year Kudrin was seen as a likely choice for Putin's prime minister. » | Khristina Narizhnaya | Sunday, September 25, 2011
NZZ ONLINE: Das erste Opfer der russischen Rochade: Finanzminister Alexei Kudrin tritt nach Streit mit Medwedew zurück » | Reuters | Montag 26. September 2011
RP ONLINE: Kuala lumpur (kna). Der Vorsitzende der katholischen Bischofskonferenz Malaysias, Bischof Paul Tan Chee Ing, wäre mit der Einführung des islamischen Strafrechts im Bundesstaat Kelantan einverstanden. "Wenn die Muslime in Kelantan es so wollen, dann ist es an der Zeit, nur für sie die Scharia einzuführen", sagte der Oberhirte des Bistums Malaka-Johor. Voraussetzung sei jedoch, dass Nichtmuslime von den Strafrechtsbestimmungen ausgenommen seien. Die Regelung müsse "feuerfest" sein. Kelantan wird von der islamischen Partei PAS regiert. [Quelle: RP Online] | RP | Samstag 24. September 2011
LE FIGARO: La cour suprême iranienne a confirmé l'application de la loi du talion pour un homme accusé d'en avoir aveuglé un autre à l'acide dans le cadre d'un conflit familial, a indiqué lundi le quotidien Shargh.
L'agresseur, prénommé Mohammad et âgé de 26 ans, avait été engagé il y a cinq ans par le beau-frère de la victime pour l'attaquer à l'acide, selon le journal.
La victime, Vali, est sortie quasiment aveugle --elle a totalement perdu l'usage d'un oeil et partiellement celui de l'autre-- et défigurée de cette attaque.
Oeil pour oeil
Un tribunal de Téhéran a condamné son agresseur à perdre un oeil en application de la loi du talion prévue par la Charia (loi islamique) en vigueur en Iran pour certains crimes. Il a également été condamné à deux ans de prison et à verser des dommages et intérêts à sa victime.
La loi du talion est le plus souvent appliquée en Iran dans les affaires de meurtre. La famille de la victime doit expressément la réclamer, la décision finale étant laissée à l'appréciation du juge. » | AFP | Lundi 26 Septembre 2011
ADELAIDE NOW: AL-QAIDA militants in Yemen severed the hand of a 15-year-old after he stole electrical cables, witnesses said yesterday.
The militants cut off the boy's hand with a sword in front of dozens of residents of Jaar, in the troubled southern province of Abyan, on Saturday evening before taking the limb around town for all to see.
Four witnesses at the scene confirmed the incident took place. They all requested anonymity due to fears of reprisals from militants.
Yesterday, the militants severed the hand of a 26-year-old man whom they also accused of stealing electrical cables, witnesses said.
"They brought in the accused with a doctor who drugged him and cut off his right hand," one witness said.
The man was then taken to a private clinic while the militants roamed around the town with the cut-off hand, witnesses said. » | AFP | Monday, September 26, 2011
Campus Republicans at the University of California, Berkeley say critics have overreacted to their event planned for this week, which they insist is a protest over affirmative action.
The group's Facebook page lists the price of baked goods at the sale according to race: $2 for whites (£1.29), $1.50 for Asians, $1 for Hispanics, $0.75 for blacks and $0.25 for Native Americans.
"$0.25 FOR ALL WOMEN!" it added.
Campus Republican President Shawn Lewis said the idea of the "Increase Diversity Bake Sale" was to highlight a legislative bill to let California public universities consider race and gender in their admissions process. » | Sunday, September 25, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency was in crisis on Monday as the French Right's historic Senate defeat threatened to torpedo his hopes for re-election.
The French leader was huddling with top allies after the Left defeated his fellow conservatives in historic Senate elections - a rebuff less than seven months before France's presidential election that could put his job in serious danger.
Even Mr Sarkozy's allies were calling from [sic] a new tack from him after the weekend electoral drubbing in which the opposition Socialists gained a thin majority in parliament's upper house.
The presidential palace said Mr Sarkozy conferred at his office Monday with Prime Minister Francois [sic] Fillon and Jean-Francois Cope [sic], the head of the conservative UMP party. Neither man spoke on the way out of the meeting.
Agriculture Minister and UMP platform chief Bruno Le Maire, on Radio Classique, called the election a "serious warning" to governing conservatives.
Mr Sarkozy's supporters were shell-shocked by Sunday's vote, which gave the left a majority the upper house for the first time in French history, and the week promised more revelations in an ongoing party-funding scandal.
"The moment of truth will come next spring. The battle begins tonight," Mr Fillon said in a statement late Sunday after the results became known. » | Monday, September 26, 2011
“The fact is,” he says to his squire Sancho, “that I was born to be an example of misfortune, and the target and mark at which the arrows of adversity are aimed and directed.”
On Monday afternoon, Mr. Zapatero will walk into the Madrid legislature and dissolve parliament. After eight dramatic years in office, he is triggering an election, set for November 20, that will end his political career (he will not be running for re-election) and almost certainly give the right-wing opposition Popular Party (PP) a huge majority.
If Greece is the financial black hole of Europe’s economic crisis, Spain has become its centre of political symbolism. It must have been with an allegorical eye that Barcelona decided to hold its last-ever bullfight on Sunday, for the next day would mark a stark transition from the bullish buoyancy of the Zapatero era to a more bearish, austere period of anxiety and panic.
Mr. Zapatero, who has transformed Spain like no other leader since Franco’s demise, became transformed into Europe’s ultimate unwitting victim, a Quixotic figure whose lance has proven useless. » | Doug Sanders | Monday, September 26, 2011
Vielleicht sollten wir zum Schluss dieser Papstreise einmal von ihrem wichtigsten Anlass sprechen, der in den Zeitungskommentaren peinlich vermieden wurde und auch bei uns noch nicht vorkam: Gott. Wer in der Gottesfrage der Wahrheit die Ehre geben will, kann sagen: Die Frage ist niemals beantwortbar, weil sie die Grenzen des menschlichen Vermögens überschreitet. Deshalb wäre Agnostizismus die einzig richtige Haltung zu Gott, Papst und Welt. Mit den Worten eines der prominentesten deutschen Theologen der Gegenwart: Die Ansicht, dass Gottes Existenz nicht erkennbar ist, wirkt "seinsgemäß, ehrlich, ja fromm – in Anerkennung dessen, wo unser Blickfeld endet."
Der Theologe ist natürlich niemand anders als Joseph Ratzinger, der in Sachen Gotteszweifel sogar noch weiter gegangen ist und über den Atheismus (als sozusagen gesteigerten Agnostizismus) einmal gesagt hat, er sei religionsgeschichtlich unverzichtbar als Protest gegen menschliche Verabsolutierungen, als Warnung vor dem Unwesen der Religion und als Chance, "die Religion auch als große Gefährdung des Menschen" zu erkennen. An solche Sätze darf man jetzt noch einmal erinnern, um zu verstehen, warum dieser deutsche Papst trotz aller ungeklärten Streitfragen, trotz aller brennenden Existenzprobleme des Katholizismus, in den letzten Tagen bei vielen Deutschen solchen Eindruck machte.
Benedikt XVI. ist eben kein naiver Religionsführer, kein bloß reaktionärer Oberbischof von Rom, sondern ein veritabler Denker, der das Unzeitgemäße seines Glaubens sieht und die alte Idee eines guten gerechten Gottes für die Gegenwart retten will. Diese Idee hat er jetzt an verschiedensten Orten vor verschiedenstem Publikum in gut einem Dutzend Ansprachen neu durchbuchstabiert.
Dabei argumentierte er keineswegs nur fromm, sondern auch in dem Wissen, dass viele seiner Zuhörer Gott bestenfalls für eine schöne Illusion halten. An einigen Stellen hat der Papst dies leicht melancholisch beklagt, aber er hat uns nie angeklagt und er hat der gottlosen Gesellschaft auch nicht mit jenseitigen Konsequenzen gedroht, wie es traditionsgemäß zum Amt der Geistlichen gehörte. Nein, Benedikts Reden waren der Versuch, in der Sache zu überzeugen statt von oben herab zu missionieren. Deshalb konnte man, egal ob Atheist, Agnostiker oder Glaubender, seinen Reflexionen über die Möglichkeiten des Menschseins etwas abgewinnen. » | Von Evelyn Finger | Montag 26. September 2011
Die Türkei rückt immer deutlicher von ihrem früheren Partner Syrien ab. Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan warf dem syrischen Präsidenten Bashar al-Assad laut Presseberichten vom Montag vor, ihn mit Blick auf Reformversprechen "ständig angelogen" zu haben. Schon in den kommenden Tagen werde die syrische Opposition eine offizielle Repräsentanz in der Türkei eröffnen können, sagte Erdogan demnach vor mitreisenden Journalisten auf dem Heimflug von der UN-Vollversammlung in New York. » | Ag. | Montag 26. September 2011
The 58-year-old Russian prime minister set the blogosphere alight at the weekend after accepting his party's presidential nomination at a glitzy Moscow event with his face looking suspiciously smooth.
The skin around his eyes was almost totally clear of bags and wrinkles, triggering a fresh wave of speculation that he has had a series of cosmetic procedures to keep his face looking youthful.
Set to turn 59 next month, Mr Putin prides himself on his image as a Judo-loving energetic action man who is in ideal shape to lead the world's largest country. Read on and comment » | Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Monday, September 26, 2011
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: En Libye, la formation d'un nouveau gouvernement est freinée par des luttes intestines pour le pouvoir. Il existe également des tiraillements entre libéraux et islamistes.
Des luttes intestines pour le pouvoir retardent la formation en Libye d’un gouvernement transitoire annoncé en principe pour cette semaine, affirment des politiciens.
"Nous sommes confrontés à la mentalité libyenne qui veut que chaque tribu, chaque région, chaque ville ait sa part dans le nouveau gouvernement. Or, nous n’avons toujours pas libéré tout le territoire et (le dirigeant déchu Mouammar) Kadhafi garde toute sa capacité de nuisance", a expliqué samedi le président du Conseil national de transition (CNT) Moustapha Abdeljalil. » | AFP | Lundi 26 Septembre 2011
Amanda Hill alleged that a male colleague was promoted to do her job, that she was "turfed out" of her office and excluded from staff decisions.
She said she was bullied into resigning when she complained to her bosses at Buckhurst Park in Windsor, Berks.
Queen Noor, who uses the sprawling multi-million pound estate when in England, could be called to give evidence at an employment tribunal when the case is heard next year.
The dispute began when Mrs Hill discovered that her groundsman, Danny Welland, had been given a pay rise and a new job title, allowing him to do her work.
The disgruntled employee launched proceedings against Queen Noor, the widow of the late King Hussein, former King of Jordan, after bringing the matter to her attention. » | Victoria Ward | Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
But its walls are no more than canvas. Its porch overlooks smouldering bonfires and scrawny hens scratching at dirt.
Its occupant is Marilyn Berenzweig, 61, who used to make $100,000 (£63,333) a year as a designer in New York’s garment district. Now she and her husband Michael are down and out, living in Tent City, Lakeland, New Jersey. There is no electricity or running water and racoons steal their food. “It’s not an easy life,” she said.
She and Mr Berenzweig, a former radio producer, are two of the 27 million Americans out of work or under-employed as recession stalks America. » | Jon Swaine, New Jersey | Sunday, September 25, 2011
Surrounded by celebrities and movie power players like Cindy Crawford, Will Smith and Halle Berry, he was the political darling of the entertainment industry's liberal elite.
But Mr Obama's return to the West Coast today is much less glamorous, reflecting how much his star has waned.
Instead of Miss Winfrey's house, he will be at the less glamorous "House of Blues" nightclub on Hollywood's Sunset Strip with the rap singer B.O.B, a DJ called Adam 12, and The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles. Tickets for the event, hosted by a sitcom actor, have been available for just $250 (£160).
Hollywood is traditionally seen as a cash machine for campaigning Democratic candidates. In his first presidential campaign he found nothing but generous friends and open chequebooks.
But some of those wealthy supporters now feel frustrated by what they see as lack of progress on issues including the environment, gay rights, withdrawal from Afghanistan and closing Guantánamo Bay.
While few are openly criticising the president, much less supporting any of his possible Republican opponents, the word "disappointment" is surfacing regularly.
A string of other big name backers from four years ago have yet to donate at all. They include Matt Damon, who has been perhaps the most critical of Mr Obama's A-list friends. » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Labour leader insisted that the party had not set out to mislead the public over immigration but that the party’s policies had “effects on people right up and down the country” and that not enough was done to protect British workers.
Mr Miliband made the admission in an interview on the first day of Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool during which the party is under pressure to admit to mistakes made during its time in Government.
In the interview, the Labour leader also refused to criticise trade unions for threatening to strike in a dispute over pension reform.
Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister, was recorded during the last election campaign criticising a pensioner expressing concern over immigration – an incident which is credited with characterising how Labour fell out of touch with the concerns of its supporters.
Yesterday, Mr Miliband was asked if he accepted that Labour had “lied” over the impact of its immigration policies.
“I don’t agree that we lied but I do agree that we got it wrong. I think we underestimated the level of immigration from Poland, which had a big effect on people,” he said[.]
In another interview, he said: “I think we did introduce, we did allow the entry of Poland into the free movement of labour too quickly, and that clearly had effects on people right up and down the country. We’ve clearly got to learn those lessons for the future when it comes to future accession…if you have a more open economy in Europe, you’ve got to put in the right protection for people, for workers.”
The previous Labour Government allowed virtually unchecked immigration from eastern Europe to Britain. » | Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor | Sunday, September 25, 2011
THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: The Labour Government ‘Covered Up’ on Immigration »
THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: Ed Miliband Won’t Call People Who Defraud the Welfare System ‘Cheats’ »
Related »
Freiburg - Die katholische Kirche steht nach Ansicht des Papstes den orthodoxen Kirchen in Deutschland näher als den Protestanten. Bei einem Treffen mit Vertretern der Orthodoxen sagte Benedikt XVI. am Samstag in Freiburg nach Angaben des Vatikans: "Unter den christlichen Kirchen und Gemeinschaften steht uns die Orthodoxie theologisch am nächsten."
Er habe die Orthodoxie "lieben gelernt", sagte er und sprach ausdrücklich von einer "Wiederherstellung der vollen Einheit, die wir erhoffen" - genau diese Worte hatten sich viele für das Treffen mit den Protestanten ersehnt. Die Hoffnung wurde jedoch enttäuscht. Am Freitag war der Papst mit Vertretern der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland zusammengekommen, hatte dabei aber nicht einmal kleine Zugeständnisse gemacht.
Bei seinem historischen Gespräch im Augustinerkloster in Erfurt forderte Benedikt XVI. stattdessen abermals eine Rückbesinnung auf den Glauben als Grundlage für den weiteren Ökumeneprozess. Zwar feierte der Papst einen ökumenischen Gottesdienst in einer evangelischen Kirche - eine weitere Annäherung der Konfessionen blieb jedoch aus. Es gebe in dieser Frage nichts zu verhandeln, wie es Politikern möglich sei, sagte Benedikt. » | ore/dpa/dapd/AFP | Sonntag 25. September 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)